Automotive telematic services. The next big thing? The provider Wirelesscar is one of the fastest growing companies at Lindholmen Science Park. And when only two percent of all the cars in the world are connected, the growth potential is enormous, reports Göteborgs-Posten.
"During the last 18 months, Wirelesscar has received more inquiries from potential customers than the total number of inquiries since the start," says the CEO Martin Rosell to GP.
Wirelesscar was founded in 1999 and around 200 people work there today. Most are software engineers. Martin Rosell says that one of the biggest challenges is to find suitable people to employ. The company needs people who understands the car industry, knows IT services and understands communication. He calls them "architects for services".
But what do telematic services in cars mean?
When a car is connected to the internet and connected to the GPS satellite network, this opens up loads of opportunities.
Volvo Carswas Wirelesscar's first client. The "Volvo on Call" system is an alarm system that connects the car to an alarm operator in the case of an emergency. The operator will see the car's exact location and can
send out help to the driver. The alarm is automatically activated if the airbag is triggered. If the driver doesn't pick up when the operator calls, the operator will call for an ambulance and the police.
One million cars have Wirelesscar systems installed, which makes it the second largest company in this segment.
The big break-through came with BMW. They required a system with even more services than "Volvo on Call".
"Maybe you want help to programme your GPS, order a table at a restaurant, or organise flight tickets - it's a kind of concierge, but online," says Martin Rosell to GP.
There are also several more areas of interest. Martin Rosell gives one example:
"In Italy, the insurance industry is interested. You can lower your insurance premium by allowing surveillance of your driving habits."
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